Carnival Suffers String of Bad Luck

It's never easy being the biggest player in your industry, usually because the spotlight shines so brightly. It's even harder when the news just isn't that good.

Carnival Corporation has faced a slew of bad public relations in recent months. Boat collisions, fights over ports and the recent capsizing of an Italian ship, have all sullied the name of the world's largest cruise-ship operator, according to one writer.

The Charleston-based Carnival Fantasy, the oldest ship in the Carnival fleet, has faced its own string of bad news. Passenger drug arrests, and have all dogged the vessel.

Here's a run-down of the recent negative news:

Costa Allegra, Feb. 27
A ship fire caused the vessel to lose power off the coast of Africa. The powerless ship and its 600 passengers and 200 crew were towed to land over more than 200 miles in three days. No one was injured.

Costa Concordia, Jan. 13
Thirty-two people are believed dead after the mega ship struck an underwater rock and began taking on water. The ship's captain has been the subject of much anger for allowing the vessel to navigate so closely to the coast and for delaying an evacuation of the boat. Crews will attempt to remove the ship's fuel within a month, according to reports.

Carnival Magic, Nov. 16, 2011
It was Carnival's newest ship, but when it encountered mechanical trouble on its maiden voyage, the cruise line had to shuffle the ship's itinerary to make emergency repairs.

Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Imagination, July 26, 2011
The while docked in Key West. The damage was only cosmetic.

Carnival Fantasy lawsuit, June 2011
Long-time Charleston residents and environmental groups are suing the cruise line and the South Carolina Ports Authority, claiming the Carnival Fantasy violates city zoning laws. They claim the ship is an illegal hotel and that it pollutes the air and places the historic charm of Charleston in jeopardy.

Carnival Splendor, Nov. 8, 2010
One of the cruise line's premiere ships lost power off Punta San Jacinto, Mexico, and floated in the dark for five days without air conditioning or electricity. The incident was a public-relations disaster.

But while the news is pretty bad for Carnival and cruise lines in general, it might be so bad for consumers. Reports indicate cruise prices have fallen since all the negative press has driven down demand. Carnival is running signifcant discounts and incentives on its site today.